Press Release

PITTSBURGH—The Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) has been awarded a grant from MetLife Foundation and the International Longevity Center for caregiver training programs. CCAC is one of 15 community colleges nationwide to receive the $20,000 Community College Training Initiative grants this year.

The grants are part of the Caregiving Project for Older Americans, a partnership of the International Longevity Center and the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education. The initiative is focused on addressing a growing caregiving crisis by encouraging the expansion of caregiver training programs for family caregivers and in-home care workers. Since 2007, the initiative has awarded 39 grants.

CCAC’s grant will provide funding for the Elder at Home program, which is designed to provide quality training for paid caregivers and family caregivers of older adults living in their homes. The program has a multicultural context, designed to promote quality care, nursing and gerontology skills development for caregivers.

For this project, CCAC will partner with the University of Pittsburgh Institute on Aging, in cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. CCAC’s Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity will help to identify family caregiver program participants. The grant was secured by CCAC Institutional Advancement.

“This grant from MetLife Foundation and the International Longevity Center will enable CCAC to address a crucial need for high-quality in-home care,” said Dr. Alex Johnson, CCAC president. “Our development of the Elder at Home program will reflect our commitments both to diversity and the betterment of our community.”

Photo: Dr. Alex Johnson, left, CCAC president, and Tom Santone, right, chair of the CCAC Board of Trustees, accept the Community College Training Initiative grant from Stephen Potts, MetLife Pittsburgh managing director.

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About CCAC
The Community College of Allegheny County is the largest institution of postsecondary higher education in Pennsylvania. The college serves 30,000 credit students through 170 degree and certificate programs and offers thousands of lifelong learning non-credit and workforce development courses to 35,000 students annually. Incorporating a learning-centered environment committed to the future of the region, CCAC continues to expand its reach through innovative programming and accessible instruction offered via convenient day, evening, weekend and online courses. With four campuses and six centers serving Allegheny County and surrounding communities, CCAC endeavors to fulfill its mission to provide affordable access to quality education and offer a dynamic, diverse and supportive learning environment that prepares the region’s residents for academic, professional and personal success in our changing global society.

About the International Longevity Center

The International Longevity Center-USA is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan research, education, and policy organization whose mission is to help individuals and societies address longevity and population aging in positive and productive ways, and to highlight older peoples' productivity and contributions to their families and society as a whole. The organization is part of a multinational research and education consortium, with centers in 11 countries, which work both autonomously and collaboratively to study how greater life expectancy and increased proportions of older people impact nations around the world. For more information, visit www.ilcusa.org/prj/caregiving.htm.

About MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its longstanding tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. In the area of aging, the Foundation funds programs that promote healthy aging and address issues of care giving, intergenerational activities, mental fitness, and volunteerism. More information about MetLife Foundation is available at www.metlife.org.